


A Winter Storm

by wholocked_Pinkie_in_theImpala



Series: The AU No One Needed [3]
Category: Buzzfeed Unsolved (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Gen, Protective Ryan, Some bullying, not exactly in that order, shyan if you squint, smol bean protects giraffe, some gay subtext
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-19
Updated: 2018-02-19
Packaged: 2019-03-21 03:00:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,163
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13731714
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/wholocked_Pinkie_in_theImpala/pseuds/wholocked_Pinkie_in_theImpala
Summary: The rumors about Ryan being protective of Shane were most certainly not true. They were outdated -- a year old. So why did Ryan punch that guy in the nose yesterday?





	A Winter Storm

**Author's Note:**

> Tbh, not the best thing I've written. But I'm trash so I went through with it

Shane Madej and Ryan Bergara had become one word recently. If someone were to talk about one, they had to mention the other. It was just fact. They had become inseparable. It would seem odd to anyone on the outside looking in, how the two had gotten so close in such a short span of time. A year was nothing in the grand scheme of things, after all. People would try to find a different label to describe the relationship they had.

Ryan would just call it friendship.

He and Shane were friends. Friends got close over a period of time -- no matter how long or short. Some people clicked better than others. There wasn’t a set schedule for when people were supposed to get close with their friends. It happened whenever it decided to. And, maybe,  Shane losing his house keys consistently sped up the process a bit.

Shane was known to be a bit awkward. He couldn’t talk to people, he tended to stutter a lot, and his voice was never above a whisper. The only one he ever talked to at a comfortable level was Ryan. There were no stutters when they were together, and his voice had been getting louder in the months they spent with each other. Every classmate knew of this; word travels fast in a little school.

So everyone was aware to never, ever make fun of Shane Madej. Even the incoming freshmen found that out soon enough. As much as an easy target Shane seemed to be, no one ever said a bad thing about him. No one ever even looked at him wrong. He was well protected.

Ryan had often been called the golden boy of the school. He was humble, very skilled, and friendly to everyone. For a boy who was only a lower classman, he made an impact. Everyone knew Ryan’s name whether they wanted to or not. He was mentioned in things ranging from sports to academics, or rumors that had been spreading since the day he supposedly threatened two students for making fun of Shane. Of course, Ryan would deny that. Why would he ever do something so rude?

Well, the rumors only seemed to grow on one day in December. A new student had entered the sophomore class. He happened to join World History with Ryan and Shane. The two were sitting in the back corner, but there was one seat available behind Ryan. So that’s where the new kid sat.

Ryan, ever the social butterfly, greeted the new kid warmly and offered to help if it was needed. Shane mumbled a hello simply because Ryan encouraged it.

The new kid returned the greeting to the both of them, but Ryan caught the way he looked at Shane. Almost like a hawk studying the ground for movement. Ryan didn’t like that one bit.

The day went by as expected after that. Classes were boring with some interesting topics thrown in on the side. Talks with friends happened occasionally. Yet the best part of school was when it ended. Ryan always met up with Shane at the front of the school so they could walk home together. On any normal day, Shane would stand there looking out of place until Ryan came. He would smile at Ryan and ask if he was ready, suddenly fitting in with his surroundings.

But today was different.

Shane stood there, awkward as ever, but he didn’t smile when Ryan came around. He kept his eyes on the ground and his mouth hidden behind his scarf (it had gotten cold enough for him to start wearing it again). He murmured a familiar question without the usual happy chirp. If Shane was ever happy for anything, it was for going home.

“What’s wrong?” Was the first thing out of Ryan’s mouth. He thought Shane had grown past this. Yeah, anxiety wasn’t something you just got rid of in a year, but Shane had seemed to be adapting.

Shane didn’t look him in the eye. Another warning sign. “Nothing,” he mumbled. “I just don’t feel very good.”

Ryan wanted to press further -- wanted to know what was actually wrong -- but he figured doing it in front of wandering eyes wasn’t the best. So he conceded for Shane’s sake.

They started their walk home in a tense silence. Shane was trapped in that prison of a mind, while Ryan studied the events that happened previously. Shane had been acting like his normal self any time that Ryan saw him. Something must have happened in one of his last two periods. It must have been something big. Shane didn’t cut himself off from the world as much as he used to.

“So, what’s up?” Ryan asked. He made sure to ask at a point in their route where Shane wouldn’t think escape was an option. They were too far from the school for him to run back and they weren’t close enough to his house where he could retreat. It was just a safety precaution.

Shane lowered his head to hide behind his scarf like a dog getting reprimanded. “Nothing.” There was that quiet voice again. Something was definitely wrong. “I told you before.”

“Shane,” Ryan sighed. “I’m your friend, I won’t judge you or anything. You seem really down right now and I just wanna help. Don’t you trust me?”

That seemed to strike a chord with Shane. He stopped walking and peeked out from over his scarf. “Of course I trust you.” He turned toward Ryan. “I-it’s just a little embarrassing to have this b-bother me so much.” He averted his gaze.

“I’m here to help.” Ryan grinned, but on the inside, he felt ready to rip someone’s head off if need be. How _dare_ someone knock down a year’s worth of progress. “What’s bothering you?”

Shane hesitated. “Y’know the new kid, right?”

Ryan was going to rip a head off. “The one we met in second? Yeah.”

“W-well…” Shane hid behind his scarf. “W-we had to do partner w-work in sixth a-and I usually do that stuff a-alone, b-but he saw I was by m-myself so he joined m-me. I-I didn’t want him to! B-but I couldn’t just s-say no. To m-make it w-worse, I-I couldn’t e-even open m-my m-mouth to talk to him. I-I d-don’t know a-anything a-about him -- I-I c-couldn’t just t-talk to him.” The more flustered Shane got, the worse his stutter became. “He w-wasn’t p-patient w-with m-me. He got f-frustrated ‘c-cause I-I w-wasn’t helping him -- b-but I d-didn’t a-ask him to join m-me! I d-didn’t w-want to. I-I c-couldn’t. He s-said I w-was useless a-and n-no w-wonder I w-was a-alone.” Shane clenched the bottom of his shirt in his hands. He looked at Ryan with eyes needing acceptance. “I-it’s s-stupid, I know, b-but…”

Ryan tried to wipe away his deep frown but found it wouldn’t go away. “That’s not stupid, Shane. He didn’t have any right to say that to you.” Who the hell did that kid think he was? That was no way to treat any person let alone a shy guy like Shane. Ryan grabbed Shane’s arm and started dragging him in the opposite direction of their homes.

“W-where a-are w-we going?”

“To get ice cream.”

Ryan tried his best to cheer up Shane. It worked for the most part, but it was obvious that the comments bothered him still. He’s had problems with people saying he was too quiet before, so this wasn’t unfamiliar. It’s just something they both thought would stay in the past. And it should have, in Ryan’s opinion.

The next day Ryan managed to keep himself together in second period. Alex -- as memory refreshed -- tried to strike up a conversation with Ryan (purposefully excluding Shane, he might add), but after hearing what he had done, Ryan wouldn’t even give him the time of day. The most he did was mutter one-word answers. Shane gave him a weird look; he noticed. Alex, on the other hand, didn’t notice until Ryan let a glare slip through. After that, he stopped trying.

Ryan could tell Shane wanted to question him but never made any move to. It was for the best. Ryan didn’t know how he would be able to explain his sudden hostility. At least in a way that would make sense to someone other than him.

Alex’s rudeness stayed in Ryan’s head the rest of the day. For some reason, he couldn’t think of anything other than that. He would rather not have anything to do with Alex on his mind at all if he had any control over it. It was just absurd to know that someone said something like… _that_ to Shane’s face. Who has the indecency to do that? It wasn’t right -- any sane person would know that. And what was with Shane and attracting awful people, anyhow? Just last year he had two people spreading rumors about him. Perhaps the problem wasn’t with Shane, but with the school. People were so desperate for action that they were willing to make it themselves.

“What are you doing?” The words were out of Ryan’s mouth before he could stop himself.

Alex was standing in front of Shane. He towered over him, which was saying something considering Shane had been turning into a bean sprout as of late.

“Just talking,” answered Alex. He put an arm around Shane to draw him close. “Getting to know your bud here a little better.” He gave a grin that was rather predatory.

Ryan felt a deep burning stir inside of him when he saw Alex lay a hand on Shane. Seeing Shane so uncomfortable just made something writhe in the pits of his stomach. “I can see that,” his voice was as cold as the air outside and twice as harsh. “Well if you want to know something about him, you could always ask me. I’m a well of information.” He turned his glower into a sly smile. “Now, if you excuse us --” He motioned for Shane to follow him. “-- we have somewhere to be.”

Relief crossed Shane’s face. He wormed out of Alex’s grasp and to freedom. In a quick movement, Alex grabbed onto Shane’s arm.

“Don’t touch him,” Ryan snapped, surprising the three of them.

Alex stared at him as if he contemplated what to do. Ryan noticed he tightened his grip. “Or what?” It was provoking -- trying. He _wanted_ Ryan to do something.

Ryan wouldn’t give him that satisfaction. Not yet. “It just seems rude, don’t you think?” He resisted every urge he had to yank Shane toward him. “Shane’s his own person -- he can decide what he wants to -- you don’t have to force him to stay.”

“And you don’t have to force him to leave.” A challenge.

Ryan felt his face twitch into a frown, but he kept up his facade. “Listen, Alex, Shane and I always walk home together. You can continue your talk another time, alright? Right now I would like to leave with my friend.”

“Well, right now I think you should wait.” He pulled on Shane’s arm, catching Shane by surprise and allowing him to follow.

Despite the bitter cold, Ryan felt heat bubble within him. It made his cheeks burn with rage as he stepped closer. “I don’t know what your problem is,” Ryan exploded, catching the attention of nearby students. “But you need to stop. You don’t know anything about Shane so you need to keep your hands off.” He pried Alex’s hand off of Shane’s arm. “And leave him the hell alone. You don’t deserve to even look at him after what you said. Let’s go, Shane.” He took a hold of Shane’s sleeve to lead him away. Shane looked at him and Alex with a concerned frown before following.

“I was right, y’know.”

Ryan stopped in his tracks. Shane seemed to shrink away -- almost like he could sense that Ryan was about to blow up. “What did you just say?” He turned back to Alex.

Alex smirked. What a condescending bitch. “Everything I said about him was true. He _is_ useless.”

“Ryan,” Shane tried to stop Ryan from going back to Alex, but he moved before Shane could react.

“He couldn’t even stand up for himself,” Alex continued. “He needed the help of someone like you. Seems pretty useless to me. Plus, he can’t even speak correctly. What kind of --”

“Ryan --!”

But Ryan was too fast for Shane.

Students took a sharp intake of breath when they saw Ryan’s fist collide with Alex’s nose. Alex stumbled back. He stared down at Ryan with wide eyes and blood seeping through his fingers. Ryan didn’t say anything. He gave him one final glare before turning around and walking away.

Shane glanced back at Alex before chasing after Ryan.

“What the hell was that?” Shane hissed when they were out of earshot of any students. He had waited until they crossed the street to be sure.

Ryan shook out the hand that made contact with Alex’s face. “It hurt like a bitch, I’ll tell you that much.” He grimaced when he noticed the blood wasn’t just Alex’s. “Never punch people in the face. Nothing harsher than bone-on-bone.”

Shane scowled -- _actually_ scowled. He punched Ryan’s shoulder. “You know exactly what I mean. Do you know how scared I was? I thought you were going to straight up murder him. Not only that, but you fucking punched him. Ryan, what the fuck? You could have gotten in really big trouble. Why would you do that?”

Ryan stopped walking to stare at Shane in partial awe and confusion. “You’re not stuttering.”

“What?” Shane turned back to Ryan when he realized he stopped.

“Sorry, it’s just… You’re nervous right now, right?” Ryan grinned. “But you’re not stuttering.”

Shane paused. He looked at Ryan like the words were alien. Then he frowned. He punched Ryan on the shoulder again.

“Ow! What the fuck --?”

“It’s because of you, Ryan Bergara,” he pointed an accusatory finger. “I’m too shocked -- too mad -- to even stutter. I didn’t want all that attention, but you gave it to us. Everyone will be talking about it for weeks. The heart of the school just punched a new kid in the nose and ran. How do you think that’s going to look?” Shane was distraught, making Ryan regret losing his temper. Then he sighed, deflating like a balloon. “I’m sorry, I didn’t mean to --”

“No,” Ryan interrupted. “You’re right. I should have stayed calm but I didn’t. He was just saying things that weren’t true about you and it made me so mad -- and the way he acted like he could just touch you because he thought he was better --” He rubbed his shoulder. “I’m sorry, Shane. I didn’t think about how you might feel about it. You’re my friend and I don’t want anyone to treat you like that.”

Shane looked away, but Ryan caught the little smile on his face.

“So,” Ryan continued after a pause. “Did I just cure your stutter?” He gave a dorky smile.

“Fuck off.”

They continued walking home, bickering about how stutters work. Because, no, Ryan, shock isn’t a permanent stutter cure.

* * *

When people saw Shane and Ryan, they never thought of Ryan as being the tough one. Shane, with his large stature, was always overestimated. It tended to be a surprise whenever Ryan turned out to be the one to stand up to people. Most of the time it was just to explain or to make intentions clear, but sometimes it escalated. Regardless, Ryan had only ever been in two fights.

And the second one just happened.

“F-fuck,” Shane muttered after he slammed the restroom door shut. He leaned against it and put his head in his hands. “What was with th-that guy?” He moved his hands to run through his hair.

“Drunk,” Ryan shot out. It wasn’t anger toward Shane (there was never really any real anger between them) it was anger about the situation. He walked over to the sink to turn it on. “He’s just a drunk bastard who was ready to snap at any moment.” He grimaced at his reflection. There was blood running down his nose. “It wasn’t either of our faults.”

“B-but --”

“No.” Ryan turned around with a hand raised to stop Shane. “Don’t even think any more of it. We weren’t the source of the problem. That guy has some messed up issues.”

Shane sighed. It was clear he wanted to take the blame but dropped it for Ryan’s sake. Ryan was glad for that. He didn’t want to think any more of the situation than he had to.

Ryan noticed Shane staring at him from the mirror. “What?” He didn’t mean to snap; he was a little frustrated. Blood isn’t the easiest thing to clean off.

“I th-think you n-need a hand.” Shane took the paper towel from Ryan. “You’re not very good at this.”

“Sorry, Shane, I don’t regularly have to clean myself of blood,” Ryan said. It was with annoyance and a little sarcasm.

Shane smirked. “I w-wouldn’t kn-know how that f-feels.”

“That’s a little less creepy with your stutter.”

Shane mimicked Ryan without using any real words. “Sh-shut up. I’m helping you.”

Ryan grinned. As Shane had gotten older, he cared less about his stutter. Plus, he stuttered less. Whenever it came out (which it rarely did), it was due to nerves or fear. It totally ruined the suave, smooth talker persona that he made himself out to be. But it made it easier to tell when he was on edge and tried to act like he wasn’t. “You know you love me.”

Shane paused, his hand hovering inches away from Ryan’s face. In the dingy, fluorescent lighting of the restroom, it was hard to read the look Shane was giving. Before Ryan could say anything, Shane turned around and muttered, “Fuck off.” Then the sound of paper towels being tossed into the trash can.

“You could at least take me out to dinner first.”

“Ryan!” He turned and smacked Ryan in the middle of the chest.

Ryan laughed and winced at the same time. One of the many odd idiosyncrasies of Shane Madej was that he tended to hit people when flustered. Needless to say, Ryan got smacked around a lot.

“I’m kidding... You already took me out today.” Ryan ducked out of the way of Shane’s hand, giggling like a little shit.

“Ryan, I swear to God!” Shane covered his face and walked away.

Ryan let out another bubbly giggle before looking at himself in the mirror. A wide grin and some faint blood stains. That was presentable enough. “Alright,” he saw Shane look up at him. “Let’s go home.” He winked.

It might have been a little odd seeing two men walk out of a public restroom. Especially when one wore a proud, mischievous grin while the other had a pink face and looked about ready to scream.


End file.
